Transcript Embarking on Change to VoIP: The Human Side of Change

Embarking on the Change to VoIP in
your Contact Center:
“The People Side of Embracing the Change”
Ivy Meadors
CEO
High Tech High Touch Solutions, Inc.
www.hthts.com
Presenting
1. Roadmap to Change Effort
2. Business and People Dimension of Change
3. What does Changing to VoIP in the Contact
Center Mean
Before Embarking on the
Change
•
Align the change with the company’s strategy
•
Understand what will be achieved
•
Have a sense of ownership
•
Ensure executives are committed to the change
•
Verify there are sufficient resources
•
Assess need for external help
“Know your Contact Center Stakeholders:
Customers, Senior Management, and Frontline Staff.”
Business Dimension of Change
Elements of the business dimension of change:
1. Business need or opportunity is identified
2. Project is defined (scope and objectives)
3. Business plan is developed (working document)
4. Proper management team is put in place
5. Risks, costs and business impacts are addressed
Business Dimension of Change
Elements continued…
6. People are informed about the project
7. Frontline is involved and part of team
8. Business solution is designed (new processes, system
configurations, support infrastructure built, etc.)
9. Knowledgebase is populated
Business Dimension of Change
Elements continued…
10. Applicable training completed
11. New processes and systems are implemented
12. Release to production
13. Benchmark at start and again after 30 days, 60 &
90 days
14. Regular assessments every quarter thereafter
But how are the people responding…..
When you say Change, they say:
“How will this impact me?”
“This is a waste of time.”
“They never tell us what’s going on!”
“How soon will this happen?”
“Will I receive new training?”
“I doubt they are really serious.”
“Why change, it was working fine before?”
Natural reaction to change: Resist
Awareness of need to change: critical ingredient and must come first
People Dimension of
Change
People tend to….
1.
2.
3.
4.
Think about what they have to give up
Feel isolated
Have different resilience levels
Be concerned they don’t have enough resources
If not addressed, all of these can lead to resistance.
“Encourage people & help them feel comfortable with being asked
to do something differently.”
How Important Really is the People Dimension
Research shows problems with the people dimension of
change is the most commonly cited reason for project failures.
In a study with 248 companies, effective change management
with employees was listed as one of the top-three overall
success factors for the project.
Helping managers be effective sponsors of change was
considered the most critical success factor overall.
“Be sure to take into consideration: different generations and
behavioral styles, and personal motivators.”
Change in Mindset
• Be core to the business, not overhead
• Focus on solving business problems
• Every activity should contribute to the bottom line
• Eliminate unnecessary tasks
• Have a critical viewpoint
• It’s OK to take risks and make mistakes
“Be willing to surrender what you
are, for what you could become.“
-unknown
Awareness Desire Knowledge
A
D
K
…of the
need for
change
…to make
change
happen
…about
how to
change
Ability
A
Reinforcement
R
…to
…to retain
implement
the change
new skills & once it has
behaviors
been made
Research shows that problems with this dimension of change is the most commonly cited reason for project failures. In a study with
248 companies, effective change management with employees was listed as one of the top-three overall success factors for the
project. Helping managers be effective sponsors of change was considered the most critical success factor overall.
http://www.change-management.com/tutorial-adkar-overview.htm
www.prosci.com
So What Does a Change to VoIP Mean
Business Dimension
1. Different ways of doing business
2. A “new” telephone system
3. More control over voice and data communications
4. New and enhanced business processes
“The decision to move to voice over IP is a sophisticated decision that
involves the entire IT infrastructure.”
Business Dimension
5. Improved resource management – virtual staff,
acquisitions, global considerations
6. Reduced costs
–
Infrastructure
–
No more long distance and conference call fees
–
M.A.C.s, done with click of mouse (no onsite dispatch of
technician needed)
Technically Speaking
• Soft phones
– “Click to Dial”
– Speaker phone on your computer
– USB headphones
• Call Blasts: Multiple numbers can all ring on multiple
phones at the same time
• Fewer à la carte costs – as technology matures you
get more of the full meal deal of features and functions
Technically Speaking
• Web-based setup of routing features: auto attendant,
hunt groups, and call forwarding
• Web-based screens for customizing service options
• Easily reproduce the same service, same features,
same performance across an enterprise controlled
from any location on a web-portal
The mantra of IP telephony: “Deploy Once, Extend Anywhere”.
Creating Champions of Change
• Ability to work from anywhere
• Better resource management - virtual reps, global
accommodations
• Multi-tasking capabilities enhanced
• Enhanced “call” control (email, vmail, phone, fax)
- Control calls that must get through, send low-priority
calls to voice mail
• Send voice mail as an e-mail (personal touch)
Creating Champions of Change
• Built-in conferencing
– Improved customer service – all key players on call
with customer
• Train virtual & remote site reps:
– video and phone plus data - cost savings
– Increased productivity
• Personal development – be on the leading edge
Be Aware, Easier to Prepare
911
If you aren't at the address registered with your VoIP
account when you call and you can't provide your
location to the dispatcher, emergency responders
won't know where you are.
FCC
FCC potential regulations may stifle growth and
deny the public benefits of that growth
Lawsuits filed by phone companies to charge access
fees - Washington, Oregon and Florida
Be Aware, Easier to Prepare
Call Quality
– Choppy calls while surfing or downloading files
– Not using public internet affords better connections
– Voice prioritized over data – careful design upfront
– Weakened sound quality, likened to a wireless phone
System Availability
– Operational problems can be avoided by having two highly redundant
servers
– No power – better have a backup
– Only works if your computer is switched on and VoIP software is
running
Become an Agent of Change
• Identify the business problems you are trying to solve
• Communicate the plans early on and involve the
people
• Address their fears, stimulate confidence
• Create “Champions of Change”
• Adopt a partnership approach with vendors and or
consultants to facilitate best results
• Do your homework, it’s a young industry moving fast
VoIP integrated into one of the last known operating cordboards.
Billie operating the VoIP Cordboard system.
“If you're not riding the wave of change to VoIP...
you may find yourself riding behind it."
2003 – 131,000 VoIP subscribers
2004 – over 1 million subscribers
Source: The Yankee Group
2005 – over 5 million
Source: Forrester Research
2005 – 2 billion
Source:DataComm Research
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Ivy Meadors
High Tech High Touch Solutions, Inc.
Speaker, Writer, Consultant
[email protected]
www.hthts.com
(425) 398-9292
Visit our booklist for books that will focus on
the topics of interest to our industry.
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High Tech High Touch Solutions
Explore Your Options Series
Change Management Resources
Go to www.hthts.com
Select “Newsletters” and go to the March
2005 issue of eSharings.
This issue’s focus is on “change”.
High Tech High Touch Solutions
Explore Your Options Series
Resources
Moving From VoIP to “Trans-Modal Communication”
http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/articles/2004/voip-transmodalcommunication-unified-view-rosenberg.htm
Major issues in Moving to VoIP
http://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/2002/0311taylor.html
Moving to VoIP is a ‘Brainer'
http://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/2002/0429taylor.html
VoIP Federal & State Regulatory Action Overview
http://www.phoneplusmag.com/articles/491overview.pdf
Resources
A sneak peek at the contact center of the future
http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid11_gci94066
5,00.html
Should You Switch to a Net Phone?
http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,117799,00.asp
The IP Telephony Zone
http://www.computerworld.com.au
Telecom History
http://www.telcomhistory.org/NewsletterArchivesWinter2003.html
Contact Center of the Future
1. Multi-channel access: e-mail, Web chat, Web callback, voice-over
net, voice-over IP, Web collaboration
2. Integrated knowledge management and contact management tools
3. Personalization of every customer interaction
4. More powerful off-the-shelf telephony integration
Contact Center of the Future
5. Genuine customer knowledge through superior business analytics
and market intelligence
6. Real-time CRM
7. Front line employees who deliver extraordinary service
8. Employees who are recognized for their outstanding value and
worth!
9. Incredible Leaders!
Communication – Involve Others
1. Build a comprehensive communications plan targeting affected units and stakeholders
2. Leverage preferred communications methods and vehicles
3. Focus initial rounds on creating awareness and building support
4. Provide periodic updates in subsequent rounds to keep all stakeholders informed and
engaged.
5. Task senior executives to play an active role:
* Sponsorship – in global communications and funding
* Participation – in key project activities
* Engaging – other key stakeholders
6. Involve other leaders through working sessions
7. Leverage other communication events and training sessions to involve entire staff
8. Create a “stakeholder engagement” plan for active involvement
9. Collect stakeholder concerns during all interactions
10. Build buy-in to the business case
11. Build comprehensive reporting
Utilize Advanced Project Management
Methods
1. Actively monitor project activities
2. Track concerns and issues along the way and determine appropriate action
3. Leverage existing organizational processes for conducting formal “readiness
assessments”
4. Ensure the CRM Program leverages existing organization norms for:
• Cross-organizational involvement
• Active use of steering committees
5. Adopt a partnership approach with CRM and Telephony vendors and or
consultants to facilitate results
6. Leverage best practices for Program Management tailored to unique CRM and
telephony requirements
7. Create a “roadmap” or overall approach to achieve the vision
8. Adopt a “phased” implementation approach
9. Focus on “quick wins” along the way
10. Enhance organizational readiness by rolling out across all areas over the long term
• 1876: Alexander Graham Bell invented the
telephone
• 1878: First operators were teenage boys.
They wrestled instead of worked & pulled
pranks on callers, even cursed at them.
Were too rowdy so switched to women.
• Women had pleasant voices that customers - most of whom were men -- would like. And
because society did not treat women equally,
they could be paid less and supervised more
strictly than men.
• Late 1800s. The first woman telephone
operator was Emma Nutt. Late 1800s.
1878
e.html
• 1900: All women operators.
• 600 calls per hour! Answer rate was 4
seconds.
• 1950: First PBX by Bell Lab
• 1978: First cellular telephone
• 1960’s: First Mainframes
• 1970: First male operator
• Last cordboard: 1981
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/kids/tech1900/phone.html
The Leadership & the Team
• Make taking risks and change safe
• Train to set people up for success
• Recognize and build on strengths
• Establish and require mentoring programs
• Develop in-depth personal growth plans
http://www.mentoring.org
http://www.mentoringgroup.com
http://www.kinematic.com.au/fta/emsucc20.htm
Hiring Factors
• Expertise and experience
• Soft skills
• Flexibility, attitude
• Behavioral communication styles
http://www.generationwhy.com
http://interview.monster.com/archives/attheinterview/
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7labor/b003.htm
The Measurements
• Metrics that motivate desired behavior
• KPI’s that deliver better results
• Use of more meaningful metrics
• Increase some ‘call’ durations
“It’s not always
how many
calls you take,
nor how fast,
but the quality
of the
exchange.”
http://www.benchmarkingnetwork.com/cco1.html
http://www.benchmarkportal.com
http://opsandfulfillment.com/ar/fulfillment_super_balance